They are studying the long term plan of the line. That takes time. Any conversion on the line to modern LVRs, heavy rail, or anything else is going to take a bunch of money as already discussed. This ensures service on the line continues for the short term and isn't that expensive.

Hang those screens on the walls inside the station and leave the signs alone.

What's your rationale? There's nothing historical about the Arlington Station sign. Unless the actual sign is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places, then tell these NIMBYs to take a hike.

What's your rationale? There's nothing historical about the Arlington Station sign. Unless the actual sign is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places, then tell these NIMBYs to take a hike.

I couldn't care less if it's on the National Registry of Historical Places or not. Designations like that mean nothing to me. What matters is that the TV screens are tacky af and don't fit the aesthetic.

My concerns aren't about "preserving history" as much as they are about good design. The Cambridge Seven MBTA signage is good design and good branding. "ARLINGTON" and "TO ALL TRAINS" in simple black, green, and white is a classy look. The flatscreens broadcasting Dunkin Donuts ads are not. It's easy as that...

I actually like the idea of above-ground signage (assuming that the advertising will alternate with train information). Maybe not the most necessary at Arlington, but for example at Porter it's nice to know how much one needs to hustle for the next train.

Here's a clip from Wikipedia.org on the future of the Ashmont / Mattapan Line;

"On several occasions, the MBTA has proposed to replace the PCC streetcars either with newer trolleys or with buses, and has met with substantial community opposition on each occasion. The FY2017-FY2021 Capital Investment Plan, approved by the MassDOT board in June 2016, allocated $9 million to the line including $3.7 million for maintaining the PCC cars. The plan also allocates $5 million for "PCC Car Replacement-Alternative Service" which will be used for future funding should an alternate form of transportation be decided upon.[16] In 2017, MBTA began a $7.9 million project to overhaul the trollies and update the propulsion systems, but further problems such as fluctuations in power damaged the four operating trains in early 2018.[17][18] On February 5, 2018 it was reported that eight more trollies were going to re-enter service in 2019, the fixes will prolong the lifespan of the trains by another 7 to 8 years.[19] The MBTA also announced that it is studying alternatives again to running trolleys, draft recommendations are planned to be completed by the Spring."

Here's a clip from Wikipedia.org on the future of the Ashmont / Mattapan Line;

"On several occasions, the MBTA has proposed to replace the PCC streetcars either with newer trolleys or with buses, and has met with substantial community opposition on each occasion. The FY2017-FY2021 Capital Investment Plan, approved by the MassDOT board in June 2016, allocated $9 million to the line including $3.7 million for maintaining the PCC cars. The plan also allocates $5 million for "PCC Car Replacement-Alternative Service" which will be used for future funding should an alternate form of transportation be decided upon.[16] In 2017, MBTA began a $7.9 million project to overhaul the trollies and update the propulsion systems, but further problems such as fluctuations in power damaged the four operating trains in early 2018.[17][18] On February 5, 2018 it was reported that eight more trollies were going to re-enter service in 2019, the fixes will prolong the lifespan of the trains by another 7 to 8 years.[19] The MBTA also announced that it is studying alternatives again to running trolleys, draft recommendations are planned to be completed by the Spring."

Pretty epic Red Line failure at Andrew today. Looks like a motor blew causing smoke along with windows to blow out on the train and possibly track damage. They are still running Shuttle buses between Andrew and JFK with Severe delays as of 3:45pm and have been since 9:30am.

Pretty epic Red Line failure at Andrew today. Looks like a motor blew causing smoke along with windows to blow out on the train and possibly track damage. They are still running Shuttle buses between Andrew and JFK with Severe delays as of 3:45pm and have been since 9:30am.